Three Keys to Kingdom Hearts
by xMyEternity
Summary: Sora, Riku and Kairi have landed on Fengorafel where they must fight their way to the top in order to get the Three Keys to Kingdom Hearts and stop history from repeating itself all over again
1. Chapter 1: Departure

CHAPTER I DEPARTURE

A boy and a girl came into view. The boy was saying something, yet no sound came from his mouth. The girl seemed to understand it though and they held on to each other's hand as the ground beneath them gave way and went in different directions. They held on to each other as long as they could before they could no longer see each other. Suddenly a burst of light crept from a door and before the girl knew it, she was standing on the familiar Island which was her home before it had been destroyed. The boy had saved them, their world was back.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled and woke to find herself on the floor of her bedroom. I must have fallen off; she thought and looked outside spotting Sora's house in the distance. Hurriedly she dressed, jumped out her open window, and ran towards it. Out of breath and panicked, she glanced in the window expecting to see no one, saw the boy fast asleep in his bed. How many days had she done this while he was off trying to find Riku? How many days was it that he was never in his bed or on the beach or near the cave? And how many days had she stood there standing at the sunset wondering what his name was and if he'll ever return to her? Yet now he was back, there was nothing to be afraid of, she had told herself. Sora was back for real. She sighed heavily and looked back in marveling on his wonderful face. "Don't ever leave again." She whispered. His eyes flashed open and he glanced at her still half asleep. Startled by his reaction, Kairi flinched.

"I won't." He replied yawning. "I won't leave you." Kairi looked at him with grateful eyes and he suddenly noticed she was there. "Do you want to come inside Kairi?" He asked and she shook her head smiling. With another yawn, he turned over and resumed sleeping.

"I'll go tell Riku to wake up; you had better be up by the time I'm back." Kairi said and looked at him for any motion. Without any, she went running off towards the house a bit further down the way her house was. She passed little Tidus playing with a wooden sword that was almost worn out.

"You'll need another one soon." She said and he nodded.

"Sora says he can make me one with the keyblade of his. He can whack a couple of palms and shape it. Isn't he the best?" Kairi smiled as Tidus went down to the beach to play with Selphie. Remembering what she was suppose to be doing, she picked up her pace and ran towards Riku's house.

"Riku! Are you home?" She asked and no replies were heard. She knocked once signaling she was at the door yet still there was no reply. "Must have joined up with Sora already." She muttered and walked off towards her own house.

"Kairi dear, there's this letter for you." Her mom said handing her a message in a bottle. It had the King's Seal on it so she figured it must have been very important. She caught her breath before rushing out towards the crooked palm tree that they used to always stay in the mornings to meet up with each other. Surely enough Sora and Riku were wide awake looking as she ran towards them.

"Kairi, good morning." Riku said and Kairi nodded to him. Sora was glancing at the sunrise when she said good morning to him.

"Look Sora." She said and handed him the bottle. He anxiously opened it and read.

"The King needs our help." He said turning to Riku. "We have to go!" Riku nodded.

"Sora, you promised not to leave. I'm going too!" Kairi said and the two boys shook their heads.

"No!" They shouted in unison. Kairi looked at them with a frown.

"Why can't I go?" She asked. Riku and Sora looked at each other before looking at her.

"Kairi, it's too dangerous." Riku stated. Sora patted her on the shoulder.

"We'll come back. We always do." He assured yet Kairi did not feel very comforting. She crossed her hands and turned her back to them.

"I won't wait for you anymore. I'm coming." She said and they both scratched their heads.

"Let's go tomorrow then. The letter stated that we can have a few days to get ready."

"You're letting her go?" Riku asked surprised. Sora nudged his elbow and Riku nodded.

"Tomorrow we'll leave at noon." Sora said and elbowed Riku who grinned and agreed. Kairi eyed them suspiciously then nodded.

"Tomorrow at noon, got it!" She smiled and without hesitation, Kairi headed for home to make sure she had enough supplies to journey with. Riku and Sora watched her leave.

"You aren't letting her go are you?" Riku asked to confirm his suspicion. Sora nodded.

"Too dangerous to let her go, we'll leave in the morning before the sun comes up." Then Sora turned to the sun high in the skies and sighed. "Sorry Kairi, I can't let you come." Riku shook his head and turned towards his house.

"I'll get ready, we'll need supplies for the journey. Who knows when or if we're coming home. Also, I'll get in some practice while I'm at it. My swordsmanship is sloppy. I'll wake you up tomorrow so don't forget." Sora nodded solemnly and watched as Riku ran towards his house. He sat there for a few minutes staring at the never changing sky. It loomed over him and he swore he saw the stars faintly glowing in the vastness. After a few more minutes, he finally got up and walked towards his own house.

Climbing in the window to his room, Sora prepared for the journey. He had given up most the items he found to the gummi ship and all he had left was a few potions and some ether. He shrugged and pocketed the necessities. Afterwards he went outward towards the beach to see Kairi looking out towards the sea.

"Kairi?" Sora asked walking up to her. She turned around and smiled pointing at the sky.

"Look Sora, I see the worlds." She said pointing at the distant stars. He nodded and sat down bathing in the warmth of the sands. "I can't wait to go to the worlds." Kairi said and Sora yawned.

"Good thing I can come this time. I always want to be wherever you are Sora." She said still glancing up at the sky. Sora frowned; it would be harder to say good bye then he thought it would. "Tell me about the worlds." Kairi said sitting down and looking at him anxiously.

"Well…" He began and they talked until the afternoon sun was almost setting in the sky. Kairi smiled at him and nodded.

"I'll be sure to remember that." She said and waved to him. "I have to go eat supper. See you tomorrow." He forced a grin until she was gone before collapsing onto the sand.

"Tomorrow…" He sighed and glanced up at the worlds. "Where will I be tomorrow?" He asked himself. "At least Kairi will be safe here." With that he got up slowly, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and walked towards his house.


	2. Chapter 2: Kairi Stowaway

"Sora wake up." Riku knocked on Sora's window. The boy yawned and looked out to see his friend in the light of the waning moon. He hopped out of bed and crawled out making sure not to make a sound. They hurriedly walked out towards the beach where the arranged gummi ship was waiting for them. Sora glanced back at the island and at Kairi's house before running up the ramp towards Riku.

"Sora! Riku!" A voice called from the cockpit and a duck came running out. Donald was wearing his usual mage clothes and he smiled up at the boys.

"Nice to see you Donald, but where is Goofy?" Sora asked and Donald pointed to the cockpit.

"He's sleeping again." The duck replied hoarsely. Riku and Sora went into the cockpit and strapped themselves in. Donald went to make sure Chip and Dale were awakened. When they were strapped in, Riku glanced nervously at Sora who was sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Are you sure you can drive this thing?" He asked and Sora gave him a genuine smile.

"Of course I can." He said confidently and started the ship. The gauges and switches beeped and the lights turned on. This woke Goofy up who rubbed his head and yawned.

"Sora, you're back!" He shouted, but was unheard since the ship was making too much noise. Instead Goofy patted Sora on the shoulder and strapped himself onto his seat.

"Ready everyone?" Sora asked and everyone nodded. Sora turned on the switch; the ship's rockets flared and soon they were off the ground. The gummi ship sped through space avoiding the heartless that resided there. It blasted away asteroids and swiveled around the chunks of debris. Riku was mortified the whole way. When they were in the orbit of Disney Castle, Sora took a break to sleep. He was tired and seeing Riku doze off was tiresome as well. Suddenly he heard Donald, Chip and Dale screaming. He also heard another scream which sounded very familiar. Sora took off his seatbelt and ran to the galley where the three were huddled together.

"What's wrong?" He asked and the three pointed to the counter. Sora went around and he found Kairi sitting there smiling up at him.

"Hello Sora." She said and he frowned.

"Kairi, you were suppose to stay back at Destiny Island!" He said and she frowned back at him.

"You were planning on leaving me. I told you that I was coming." She stood up and walked past him into the cockpit. Sora followed trying to stop her.

"Kairi, how did you know?" He asked and she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not stupid Sora." She said. He reached over and shook Riku awake. The boy yawned and glanced up to see Kairi.

"Good morning Riku." Kairi said pleasantly to him and he looked utterly confused.

"I thought we weren't bringing her." He said to Sora and Sora shrugged.

"I found her in the galley." He said sitting down in his own seat.

"Stop talking about me as if though I wasn't here!" She said sharply and the boys looked at her. "You always leave me! Don't you understand how much I missed both of you? Don't you understand that everyday I woke up to find you never there? Don't you understand that it tore at my heart? Everyday I would remember something was missing. Until you came back I was lost. Now you were going to leave me again? You were going to bring back the pain? I don't want to go back there! Why can't you understand?" She shouted and they stared at her in silence. Sora was the first to break the silence.

"Kairi…I didn't know. We were trying to-"

"Protect me; yes I've heard it all before. I'm not a kid anymore Sora." She said.

"Just let her stay Sora." Riku said and Sora shook his head.

"Why not?" She asked frowning. "Didn't you hear any word I said?" She asked and he sighed.

"I heard it." He said and turned to her. "Look Kairi, this is a serious journey. We will face countless heartless."

"I have my keyblade Riku gave to me." She said.

"Numerous Nobodies." He continued.

"I'm not afraid of them." She answered.

"Evil beyond compare."

"I can handle it."

"It's going to be hard!"

"Don't worry." She replied.

"It's going to be tough!"

"I can take it."

"You'll have to walk until your feet blister!"

"I'm not that weak." She said starting to get impatient.

"There will be no time to take you to the mall!" Sora said triumphantly as he saw a look of horror cross Kairi's face.

"Sora there's a bug on your shoulder!" She said pointing to Jiminy.

"Who are you calling a bug?" Jiminy asked. "I am a cricket!" Sora laughed and introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you Jiminy. I thought you were some sort of heartless bent on attacking Sora." Jiminy chuckled and went back to his small seat on the dashboard of the ship. Sora watched him go before turning his attention back to Kairi.

"Alright back to this. There will be no malls!" He repeated.

"Sora! We don't even have a mall on Destiny Island. I'm sure I can handle it." Sora scratched his head and submitted.

"Fine. But if you die, I will never forgive you." He said and she smiled gratefully. Sora pointed to the seat in back of them.

"That's your seat I guess." He said and she walked down the aisle to get to it.

"Now before anything, tell us how you got here." Riku said intrigued. Kairi nodded.


	3. Chapter 3: Disney Castle

"You see, it all started when I overheard Sora and you talking. I was going to get the supplies at my house but I turned around since I needed to know how much potions we might have needed. You guys were talking and I hid behind a palm tree. After you left I went planning. Some sort of plan to make sure you guys wouldn't leave without me. After a few minutes of pacing around my room, I saw the gummi ship land near the shore. It went around the curve and out of sight, something I imagined one of you told Chip and Dale to do so I wouldn't notice.

I grew panicked and impatient so I packed my belongings and ran towards the ship. It had just landed and was sitting in the shallows. I saw Donald and Goofy come out so I hid behind another palm tree. They were refilling the water supply. I watched them go back into the ship and saw the doors closing. Without thinking, I ran towards it. Nearly made it too, but the doors closed before I could reach it. At that point, I was frustrated, so I retreated to my palm tree and waited for the doors to open again.

Minutes pasted and the hours crept by. I had fallen asleep until I heard footsteps. Your footsteps woke me up and I slowly followed you until Sora glanced back. I had to duck into the shadows so he wouldn't notice me. After he went into the ship I followed and succeeded this time. While you guys were going to the cockpit, I decided to explore. I heard something curious while I was exploring. Would you like to hear?"

Sora nodded then stopped her when he saw Disney Castle in sight.

"Hang on Kairi, you can talk later. We're here." Kairi stared out the window and saw the biggest castle she ever saw. It was well kept and the garden was as beautiful as the castle itself. She shaded her eyes and made out a small figure waving to them. She waved back when she saw it was the King. His royal majesty glowed with a radiance that outshone the castle.

"Look! The King!" Donald cried and Goofy unbuckled his seatbelt to take a closer look. They all strained to see his Majesty.

The gummi ship landed inside the hanger and everyone filed out.

"We'll take it from here Sora." Chip and Dale squeaked and ushered them out before scampering back inside to do some repairs to the ship. The five walked up to meet the King who wore a grim expression on his face.

"Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, come with me." He said and motioned for them to follow him. The five glanced at one another and followed him.

"The time for pleasantries is over." The King said approaching a massive door. Kairi was awed and wondered how he would open it. The King pushed open a smaller door embedded in the massive one and led them to the library. The Queen and Daisy were waiting with equally grim expressions. "As stated in my letter, Sora do you still have it?" Sora grabbed it from his pocket and handed it back to the King. Mickey gave it to Kairi and Riku and told them to read.

"Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,

The time has come for all of you to aid the worlds again. Master Yen Sid has warned me that history is repeating itself. That soon the Great War will repeat. In this war, I will give more details when you all come to see me. Donald and Goofy will come to you earliest tonight. Feel free to pack supplies that will assist you in your new journey since I cannot assist you this time. I will give you more information when you reach my castle.

-The King, Mickey" Riku read and glanced at the king who sighed and sat down. He whispered something in the Queen's ears and she nodded.

"I will fetch Master Yen Sid." She announced and walked up the eastern staircase. Sora glanced at the staircase; he had not seen it before.

"Master Yen Sid has resided here just recently so we had to install a staircase since he likes to be next to the stars." The King explained and they waited for the Queen to come down.

"In the meantime, have you guys noticed anything strange happening in your world?" The King asked and Sora thought about it.

"I've seen the worlds in broad daylight." He said and Kairi nodded.

"I remember that." She said and the King shook his head.

"So it has not come yet." He said and they asked him what he meant. "We will wait for Master Yen Sid before we will discuss that. I have many questions to ask him myself." Riku sighed and started to walk towards the bookcase.

"You have lesser books then I remember your Majesty." He said noticing that half the shelves were empty. Sora glanced over and saw it as well. He was perplexed.

"Yes, yes I do. Master Yen Sid often time comes and takes the books up to his tower room. He is still a scholar, even at this impressive age." A light tap sent the king reeling around and staring into the stern face of Master yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid!" He said and the sorcerer frowned.

"Old am I?" He asked and the King forced a laugh. "Let us get down to business." He said and sat down. He motioned for everyone else to do the same. When everyone was seated, he nodded to the King who stood.

"This is to discuss the actions we must take in order to stop history from repeating itself." He said.

"What do you mean history repeating itself?" Goofy asked and the King looked at him.

"The Great War, I fear, is coming." He said with a suspenseful aura the others could not help but notice.


	4. Chapter 4: Spite

"The Great War?" Sora asked and the King nodded. Master Yen Sid told the King to sit down while he explained.

"200 years ago, the keyblades started to fall from the sky and into random hands. I was merely an apprentice then, in the Radiant Garden, yet I recall them falling like shooting stars and stopping in front of their own chosen ones. Millions upon millions fell and soon all the chosen ones got used to them. I myself had a keyblade, yet the master told me never to call upon it. I did not know why he said that, yet I knew he had his reasons.

The answer came swift. The millions with keyblades reacted when three more keyblades fell. They weren't any keyblade though, they were gold, and the handles were shaped like a heart with wings surrounding it. Everyone was baffled by these new keyblades that had no owners. Those keyblades landed in the middle of the water fountain and everyone gathered to see them. At that time, there were strange people who seemed to come the same time the keyblades did. They were dressed as common people, yet they gave off an aura of malice. However, they only gave knowledge about everything that was happening. Everyone flocked to them whenever they wanted to learn a special attack or a combo. They now flocked to them and asked about the mysterious keyblades with no owners.

The strangers said they were special. They called it the Three Keys to Kingdom Hearts.

"The Keys to Kingdom Hearts? What is Kingdom Hearts?" A person asked and they smiled showing sharp teeth. It made me wonder if they were human at all.

"Kingdom Hearts is everything. Once you have it, the worlds are yours." They said and everyone looked at each other anxiously.

"There are more worlds then this one?" Everyone asked almost in unison. I feared they had gone too far, yet the strangers nodded.

"Worlds like these, but different. Each world has different customs and different ways of living. They all react to Kingdom Hearts."

"How do we get Kingdom Hearts?" The people asked almost hypnotically. I feared for what would happen.

"You must possess one of those keyblades. Only three people may enter Kingdom Hearts. However, they will only choose their owner when only three people with keyblades remain. They only pick the strongest three out of this whole world, and as long as your neighbor has a keyblade. You cannot possess one of the Three. You cannot possess Kingdom Hearts. Those who do not wish to seek the awesome power of Kingdom Hearts, do not call upon your keyblade. Those who wish to possess unimaginable power, do not forget, your neighbor must die." Almost instantly everyone turned on each other. Some ran for the safety of their own house, yet the majority stayed to fight. I saw the strangers laughing at the quarrelling people and suddenly they disappeared. I stood there frightened until my Master yanked me from the crowd and back to our tower.

"Who are those strangers Master?" I asked and he stroked his beard.

"I have never heard of them before." He said and summoned a book. Flipping rapidly to the page he wanted, he read and shut it suddenly. "They are known as Spites." He said pacing around.

"Spites? What are they?" I asked like the humble apprentice I was.

"Spites are a form of heartless." He said and I was confused. "When a heartless dies from a keyblade, it turns into a nobodie. However, if the heartless is killed with a keyblade wield by a fake chosen one. It turns into spite. Spites are the malice in people's heart. They remain even after you kill them again. They always will."

"How can they take on our form?" I asked and he sighed.

"They are originally people to begin with. Spites remember what their bodies used to look like and take on the form. It is like a shell that protects them, for they are but wispy creatures with no mass; much like air." I was horrified.

"What will happen to all those people?" I asked and he told me to calm down.

"A war will likely break out until the three of this world are found."

"Then…then will it be over?"

"Absolutely not my boy! There are worlds out there with the same dream. The three keyblades you see here are merely holograms. They are not the actual thing. The real Three Keys to Kingdom Hearts are at Kingdom Heart's gate itself."

"Master, how do you know of such things?"

"History is repeating itself my boy, just like it says so in this prophecy." That is all I can remember of our conversation. The years droned on and blood filled the street. Those who chose to hold on to their keyblades fought with no end. Those who never summoned it like my master and I, were left to find some way to cope. Yet though we tried, every scream in the middle of the night was unbearable, and everywhere we went, we saw the same thing. Women and children running away from the people with blood crazed eyes. We began to call them the Spited ones. The ones that gave in to the spites.

The blood never stopped it seemed. However, one day, when the clouds were swirled in such an unusual pattern. My master and I were inside studying when he slammed his book down suddenly and rushed to the window. We saw the most unusual thing, in broad daylight, we saw the stars.

"Why are the stars out so early?" I asked and he answered in a voice hardly audible.

"Those are the worlds my boy, we are connected now."


	5. Chapter 5: Fengorafel

The days pasted and nothing changed with the exception of the worlds littering the sky. We began to accept it as normal; of course, it did not stay that way for very long. One day, the three keyblades shook free of their holds and flew up into the sky. We did not know what it was, and everyone ceased to do anything; even the fighters stopped to stare.

"Master, what are they doing?" I asked talking about the keyblades. He observed it and said three words I never thought my master would ever say.

"I don't know."

With that, we watched as they started spinning and spinning. We saw what looked like shooting stars falling from the sky. I later learned that they were not stars, rather people who stained their hands in this war. They were being summoned. Suddenly a cry was heard in the crowd and everyone scattered from the people with keyblades. They were lifted up, engulfed in a fiery blue, and shot towards the sky. Many innocent victims were caught in the blue fire, and were yanked along with the spited ones. I happened to be one of them.

"Yen!" I heard my master call for the last time before the blue fire rushed towards me howling such despair I never wish to hear again. Such agony I felt as I was transported. It was like someone was ripping me apart from the inside, however, as sudden as it started, the pain died down and the howling was instantly gone. I questioned if I even heard it.

Before I knew it, I was laying face down in a desert. Struggling to stand, I was only welcomed with a blast of sand which forced me to crouch down. It subsided slowly and I could make out other figures. They were staring around as blankly as I was.

"Mommy!" A kid cried. I guessed he was sucked in the blue fire without his mother. Many others were looking around for people they knew. They ranged from kids to adults. Then suddenly they started to panic.

Everyone ran around screaming. Kids were trampled and their screams filled the air. It made me frustrated.

"What kind of adults are you?" I asked clenching my fist. They stopped briefly to stare at me before resuming panicking and running around blindly.

"We'll all die!"

"Where are we?"

"My son! Where is my son?" I gave up and ran away from them. They'll die in panic, it was evident. My lost wanderings lead me to a horror scene; a battlefield.

Corpses stretched on before my eyes. Keyblades laid scattered or pinned in the sand. The stench was unbearable had not the wind rushed in and carried it away from me. In the midst of the corpses I saw a figure. Had he killed them all?

I was hesitant to aid him, but slowly I made my way down until he was a few steps from me. Suddenly I stopped, he had a keyblade stained with blood, he was a spited one, he had killed them. I turned to run.

"Stop!" I heard his wheezy cry but I ran faster. "Where am I?" Were the last words I could make out before he was out of sight. I ran further away, afraid that he would catch up. I ran far, far, far away.

There was so much sand. Sand everywhere. I believed this world I had landed on would be covered with sand. Only sand. Many times I stumbled on battlefields, and many times I saw a sole survivor shouting those words as I ran away.

"Where am I?" Surely they must have known. Though my heart ached as I left them alone, I knew I had to help myself first.

There were no water for miles and miles it seemed. It made me delirious, it made me give up hope. It made me weak and tired. Before I knew it, I had tripped and the world turned black.

I woke painfully. Was I alive? I glanced around. I was in a lean to house. I was still hot, still parched, and the taste of sand still lingered in my dry throat. Yes, I was definitely awake. The sun was still in the sky and its rays found the holes in the ceiling of the lean to. I did not know how long I slept, or my savior. I got up and walked outside.

"You awake?" Asked the man I had seen on the first battlefield. I flinched.

"It's alright young'un, I saved you. I don't have much water, but you're welcomed to drink as much as you like. We'll all die here anyways." The thought did not comfort me but I took his canteen and gulped down the refreshing water.

"Why did you kill all those people?" I asked.

"I don't remember."

"How can you not remember killing all of them?" He glanced up at the sky and wiped the sweat beads from his forehead.

"I woke up in the middle of a battlefield." He held up his keyblade and I gulped. "Won't tell you I won't kill you, I'm not sure myself. You can run away now if you want." I shook my head.

"Someone who saved me can't be all bad right?" I smiled and he rubbed his chin.

"Seems like years since I woke up. Did something happen to the Radiant Garden when I was gone?"

"Your world is the Radiant Garden as well?" He nodded.

"This is year of the carnation right?" He asked and I shook my head.

"That was last year. Now it's year of the water lily." He didn't seem surprised.

"I knew I was out for a year or more. Want to fill me in on what has been happening?" I told him everything I knew. Suddenly he snapped.

"There we go! I remember a bit now. I've had an encounter with those spites after I woke up in the battlefield. It came to me with a knight behind it. They said congratulations to me for some reason, said I was the victor of the D section. There were only twenty three more people to kill before Kingdom Hearts was mine or something like that. Then they walked a few steps from me and vanished. I was wandering when I found you. Thought you were dead at first but you muttered something and I instantly took you along with me."

"Did the spite say the name of this place? Since I am an apprentice mage, surely I must know something of this world if I knew the name." He thought on it and I saw lines of concentration cross his face.

"Fen-fen-fen something. What was it now? Ahh, yes, I remember. Fengorafel."

"Fengorafel." I repeated and sat down. "I've never heard of such a world."


	6. Chapter 6: 100 years

"How do we-"

"Get out?" Someone said coming into view. It appeared a person until I spied the sharp teeth; spite. I backed away and the man crouched down with his keyblade in an attack stance. "Put that away." It commanded, hissing at the keyblade as though it was a vile thing.

"Why should I?" He asked gruffly.

"I have information you may need." It grinned again showing those hideous sharp teeth.

"What's going on?" I asked angrily. It sat down and stared at me.

"Humans are amusing." It hissed.

"You were once one yourself. Tell us!" Its stare grew intense and I felt the beady eyes searching me.

"I will. I was planning to. Humans are so impatient." It looked at its fingernail and then started talking. "Twenty five others have been sent to say the same thing I will be telling you; the winners of your section." I shivered when it smiled broadly at the word "winners".

"Welcome to Fengorafel. In this world, we spites, is that what you humans call us? Anyways, we spites have made this world long ago in preparation of this day. You winners will fight the remaining sectors in hopes for a spot for one of the three keys to Kingdom Hearts. Then we, I beg pardon, you will have control of the cosmos!"

The spite laughed wickedly and turned to me.

"However, you have a keyblade also. Why do you not wield it?"

"I do not want Kingdom Hearts." I said staring at it. I felt the malice grow around me, almost suffocating. It snapped and the man who was trying to find out what was going on suddenly turned to me. I backed away for I saw his eyes, the pupils were gone. Did the spite do something?

"Kill him. He has a keyblade and as long as he has one, your chance of getting into Kingdom Hearts is slimmer than it already was. Kill him before he kills you!" With that, the spite disappeared laughing. I had no time to waste. Slowly I backed away and the man lunged at me, missing by an inch. I rolled away and started crawling.

"Stop mister!" I cried with no avail. He was intent on killing me. He raised his keyblade and slashed down on my shoulder. I yelped in pain and hurriedly ran away. Blasted sand. It howled and pushed me back towards my killer. I ran clutching my injured shoulder until exhausted I tripped. He was looming right above me with the keyblade raised. I closed my eyes. This would be the end.

"STOP!" A commanding voice cried and I opened my eyes to see the keyblade inches from my skull. I gulped and took the momentum to run towards the voice. However, seeing what it was, I decided to turn back to my attacker who was frozen at the spot.

"Don't kill me." I pleaded as a knight came into full view. He carried with him a gigantic keyblade that made my heart pound against my chest.

"I would do no such thing." He said and I glanced up. "You are the victor of the D Section. I was in the D section myself. You will make it. You will make a fine guardian. As for you…" He turned to the attacker.

"You are under a spell." He snapped and the man fell to the sand.

"Where am I?" He glanced at me and at his keyblade covered in my blood. "Young'un…I'm sorry." He whispered and tears filled my eyes. I gulped and turned back to the knight.

"Come with me." He said holding out his hand. I glanced back at the man sitting in the sand.

"Take him back to the Radiant Garden." I said. "Then I'll come with you." The knight laughed.

"You have a commanding voice already." He said and pointed his keyblade at the man. "You are lucky he didn't ask me to kill you." A light appeared at the tip of the keyblade and it shot straight at the man. He disappeared. I gulped and looked at the knight.

"Ready?" He asked and I nodded. I took his hand and closed my eyes. I felt as though something was squeezing the life out of me. I opened my eyes to see the knight glancing down on me.

"You're pretty small to be a winner aren't you? Teleporting takes a lot of stress for kids."

"I didn't win anything." I whispered and he chuckled. "Take me home." He stopped and I felt his glare. I looked at my feet to avoid it.

"Don't you want ultimate power?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I'm only a kid. Let me go home!" I cried and he let go of my hand. He pointed his keyblade at me.

"I guess…you're not the one." Then I felt a beam of light hit me before I woke up in the square of the Radiant Gardens.

"Yen! Yen!" My master was looming over me. I sat up with his help. I saw him an old man

"Master. What happened?" I asked.

"Yen, you have been gone for a hundred years. I had almost given up hope but suddenly I had this feeling I should be here." I glanced at him in horror.

"What?" I asked and he stroked his beard, now longer than before.

"You left in the year of the water lily, and now it is the year of the rose." He said and I felt my head spinning.

"Other worlds have different times then we do." He said and helped me stand up. "This is no longer the Radiant Gardens as you know it. This is now Hollow Bastion. Come Yen, you have much to tell me."

So with that I told him all I knew. After I came back, everything was normal once more. No more keyblades and no more worried people. It felt as though I had faced a dream. I thought it was all a dream as well had not this day had come."

Master Yen Sid closed his eyes as though he was remembering. Everyone looked positively worried.

"What will we do?" Sora asked and Yen Sid looked at him.

"Unlike me, you must fight your way up, all three of you, and you must become the three. You must kill for the title. We need to know why this is happening and prevent it from ever happening again."

"You mean, we have to take lives?" Kairi asked appalled. "I can't do that!"

"Dear girl, would you want your grandchildren and your great grandchildren caught in this mess? By then I would be soon for the grave and who knows if I will have my memory by then. We must end it now."


	7. Chapter 7: The Day Before Doomsday

Kairi looked worriedly at Sora who was thinking.

"Well, in order to end all this, we have to kill people. I don't think Kairi can do that." Riku said leaning back in his chair.

"She must. She must be the third one to wield the third key." Master Yen Sid said. Everyone glanced at the King.

"How about you? Your majesty, surely you can-"

"I have other business to attend to." The King replied. "I cannot aid you in this journey." Everyone frowned.

"I'm sure…it will be alright…" Kairi murmured,

"Absolutely not!" Sora and Riku shouted. Master Yen Sid rubbed his temples.

"Perhaps I can alter the keyblades. Make it so when you hit a person, he or she gets transported to their own worlds." The three smiled.

"However, it is only a perhaps." They frowned again.

"What are we going to do?" Donald asked. Goofy and him had just recovered from the story.

"I will try my best. Come with me Kairi, if anything, at least yours should not kill." Master Yen Sid stood up and motioned for Kairi to follow him. Kairi stood up, waved, and followed the master up his stairs to his room.

Therefore, that left Riku, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the King in the library staring at each other in harsh silence.

"I will prepare for that moment. Knowing when it will happen is also an advantage." The King excused himself and walked out the massive doors. Goofy followed him, obviously going to ask him some question.

"Why must Kairi come? She might get killed." Riku said shaking his head. Donald got down from his seat and walked up to Riku.

"She cares about you two." He said and turned to Sora. "Don't worry, Goofy and I will protect her."

"Thanks Donald." Sora said. The duck nodded.

"That's what friends are for." That made Sora smile.

"Now come on, we should go with the king and ask him when they keyblades will fall." He said and the two boys nodded. They both got up and walked to the door the king left through. After going down a corridor, they found another massive door, slightly ajar. Peeking inside, Sora saw the King talking to Goofy.

"Yes Goofy, I cannot aid you at all. Yes I know that this is important, however, I also have important business to attend to. I will leave this in your capable hands." Sora saw Goofy nod his head and turn towards the door.

"Sora, you can come in now." He said and Sora walked in grinning.

"Your majesty, did you find out when the keyblades will fall?" Sora asked and the King nodded.

"Yes, since this year is also the water lily, coincidence, I fear not, then the keyblades will fall tomorrow in the afternoon. Be prepared, we may encounter a spite or two."

"Or two hundred." Donald muttered and the king looked at him.

"I do not believe there are more than twenty six of them, one for each sector." Riku nodded.

"I believe that as well." There was a knock at the door and they turned to see the Queen in the doorway.

"Mickey, Master yen Sid is asking for you in his tower. He told me to tell you to come at once. It is of dire important." The King nodded and turned to his companions.

"Come you guys, let's see what Master Yen Sid came up with." They nodded and followed the King up the winding staircase.

"Master Yen Sid, we are here." The King announced and the door opened revealing a smiling Kairi and an exhausted Yen Sid.

"Kairi, what happened?" Sora asked looking at Yen Sid.

"I am alright. Doing this kind of spell requires extreme proportions of my magical powers. However, I will be rejuvenated in a few hours, we will work on your keyblades next." Sora and Riku nodded. "However, I must discuss with you the dire important of this mission. You might not return until we are of very old age. Have faith, dear ones, I will make a charm to bring you back to the present time. I'm sure a hundred years would be enough time to create it." They nodded.

"We understand what we are getting to."

"Not really-" Donald was cut off by Sora who had his hands over the duck's beak. Donald glanced up at the smiling Sora.

"Donald, if you want an explanation, I will summarize. We must save the worlds, again." He said and the duck rolled his eyes.

"Oh Sora, you have such a way with words." Kairi and Riku chuckled.

"Now, rest up, tomorrow is doomsday." The King said and waved to Master Yen Sid. "I beg your leave, they mustn't be tired tomorrow." The Master nodded and held out his hand.

"Leave your keyblades, do not summon them until tomorrow. Remember that, we cannot have you running off in the middle of an experiment, who knows what that will do." Sora summoned his and laid it down on the desk. Riku did the same.

"Very good, now, rest up, you five have a long day tomorrow." They all said their farewells and followed the King downstairs.

"Sora, I'm glad I get to come." Kairi said and Sora forced a smile. What was he getting Kairi into? If she died, Riku would never forgive him, and he would never forgive himself.

"Kairi?"

"Uh huh?"

"Be careful out there." She nodded.

"It's ok Sora, I know you're worried." She smiled. "Sometimes you boys act like my mother." She said and Riku and Sora looked at her.

"Here are your rooms." The King said pointing to the five rooms adjacent to each other. "Whenever you are tired, reside here. It is still a long day, but I suggest you go to sleep anyways. I will be leaving now, if you need anything, anything at all, ask the queen." He shook hands with Riku and Sora and hugged Donald and Goofy. When he turned to Kairi, he looked solemn.

"Be careful." He said and she nodded.

"Of course your Majesty." He smiled and shook her hand before walking away.

"Good bye your majesty." Everyone said went into his or her own room to think about tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8: History Repeats

Kairi tossed in bed. She awoke startled and sweating. She got out of bed and shuffled in front of Sora's room. Opening a crack, she spied him sleeping.

"Ah?' Sora asked still groggy from sleep. He jolted upwards, got caught in his sheets, and fell to the ground. Kairi giggled and ducked behind the door. When she heard him get back in bed, she went back to her room. Sora was back. Why did she always have the same dreams after same dreams? Could she not forget her past?

Closing her door very so lightly as to not disturb everyone else, she clamored into bed and slept again.

The next morning Sora was awoken by Donald and Goofy who said everyone was already on the gummi ship waiting for him to wake up. Sora immediately fled from his room and bolted into the gummi hanger.

"Morning Sora. Are you ready to go to the Radiant Garden?" Master Yen Sid asked and Sora nodded yawning. Everyone boarded until only Donald and Goofy remained.

"Why can't we go?" Donald asked holding in his temper.

"Patience dear duck, you are needed here, besides, you will not have access to the world of Fengorafel, you have no keyblade. The spites seem to only take the people with keyblades."

"Can't you make us one? You can do almost everything Master Yen Sid."

"True I can _almost _do everything, but it is still almost. Making a keyblade is beyond my powers. Say good bye and come with me, we must get right away to the research." Goofy and Donald sadly agreed and told the three.

"Guess we'll have to do this alone Riku." Sora said and Riku nodded. "Sorry guys, maybe next time."

"Come back in one piece Sora." Goofy and Donald nodded.

"I won't forgive you if you let Kairi die." Sora rolled his eyes.

"Sure Donald, you don't care if I die."

"Sora!" Sora grinned.

"Just kidding. We'll take care. Bye guys." The door closed and Sora saw Donald and Goofy waving. He frowned slightly. When will he be able to see his friends again?

"It's alright Sora." Kairi said comfortingly. He nodded and went into the cockpit.

"Ready everyone?"

"Yes!" Chip and Dale, Kairi and Riku shouted in wholehearted good spirit. Before they knew it, Radiant Gardens loomed over them. They entered and already saw people looking at the sky. Keyblades dropped down into the hands of people and they looked at it in confusion.

"Sora! Riku!" A familiar voice called. Leon came running up to them, his gunblade in hand. "What's going on?" He asked and Sora smiled.

"Don't worry Leon, leave this to us."

"Come back to Merlin's House, we need to talk."

"We can't Leon, we have to stay here. Something important is about to happen." Leon looked at him.

"I see you're already on this mission. Very well. I leave it to you."

"Tell everybody I said hi." Sora said and ran into the crowd of confused people looking at a child on the stage in the middle of the square.

"Settle down! I have the answers that you need." The girl said. She grinned and people saw rows of sharp teeth. They gasped.

"Sora! Spite!" Kairi said and Sora nodded.

"Riku…" The boy had already charged. Sora leapt from his shoulder and attacked the spite. The keyblade quivered and the child screamed horridly. The child split in two and a black aura escaped going towards the sky. There it spun violently until the child skin it had left behind floated and attached onto the aura as though it was attracted to it. Everyone gasped and stepped back hastily.

"Stupid, stupid boy!" It cried and flew in front of Sora's face.

"How is it that you know how to wield it already? Never mind that." It pointed its fingers at the crowd and instantly they stopped their panicking and faced it. " Now, I have answers to your-"

"Everyone! Don't listen to it!" Kairi shouted watching as the people turned to face it. However, everyone seemed too enchanted to notice.

"E-Everyone?" She asked and the spite laughed wickedly.

"Those without strong hearts fall victim to my spells faster. They won't come out anytime soon." It turned towards the crowd.

"If you wish to possess Kingdom Hearts, your neighbors must perish!" Its shouts echoed and immediately everyone turned on each other. Sora, Riku, and Kairi glanced at the spite in horror. It turned to them and grinned wickedly.

"You know how to wield it. I guess it is time to choose. We are a year earlier than 200 years ago." It said frowning then snapped its finger. The people stopped fighting and turned back to the spite. Most were engulfed with blue fire. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were also engulfed.

"Kairi…" Sora whispered as a horrible scream filled his ear. The flame seemed to consume his heart and he felt it burn in his chest with a raging fire. The scream distressed him more however. Master Yen Sid did little to describe it, it screamed in his ears such depressed madness and raging hatred. It made a tear fall from his eyes though he was too busy to notice. He was crippled in pain form the noise. The world blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9: Ice

Sora woke in the sand. He glanced around and saw Riku and Kairi laying face down in the sand also. They stirred and glanced around blankly.

"I assume we're there." Riku said coughing. Kairi rubbed her eyes.

"Fengorafel." Kairi said hoarsely. The sand left a scratchy taste in her throat.

"I don't see anything but sand." Sora said then smiled. "Exactly how Master Yen Sid described it." Kairi glanced around.

"It seems so empty." She said.

"We can't die here. Come on guys, we need to find a spite or a knight."

"Or a Battlefield." Kairi suggested and the boys glanced at her.

"Yes, I suppose that works too." They said and Kairi smiled.

"You can hide behind me if you want." Riku said. "I mean, it's ok to be afraid."

"I can take it." She said pouting. Then she stood up and faced the horizon. "Come on guys! Let's go!" They both glanced at the girl who had already begun walking away. After helping each other up, they ran to catch up to her.

"How amusing…" A voice called from the spot they were just at. "People seeking battlefields…seeking spites…seeking knights… Some thing is up…" With that, a spite appeared momentarily before disappearing again.

Sora stared blankly at the battlefield.

"I can imagine how master Yen Sid felt when he looked at this. Looks like we came too late." Riku sighed heavily and glanced at Kairi.

"Are you alright Kairi?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. I've seen better though. Much, much better." She said turning pale. Never in her life had she seen so much blood. Such a gruesome sight. She couldn't turn her eyes away.

"S-Sora? Riku? Can we go now?" She asked and they nodded. Slowly they made their way around the battlefield and came to a lean to hut much like the one Master Yen Sid described. There was even fresh blood in a puddle where the man had supposedly attacked him. It was like time hasn't passed since then.

"This is all so familiar. I feel like I'm living in a dream." Sora said sitting down. "How could it be? This was suppose to happen 200 years ago."

"The time could be different here. 200 years might have only been minutes. You remember when Master Yen Sid came back to his time, it was 100 years after." Riku said logically.

"You're so smart." Sora said rolling his eyes.

"Aren't I?" Riku asked grinning. Kairi smiled and looked at the lean to. Indeed it seemed that minutes ago a boy was struggling to escape his tormentor. If she didn't come, in the other world, would it be a hundred years before she saw Sora again? Would she have been still alive by then? Kairi shivered suddenly as a harsh wind blew sand in her face.

"Sora!" She cried and spat out sand that rushed to meet her face, stinging her eyes so she could no longer see clearly. Sora rushed from his spot and took Kairi's hand. He led her towards the lean to where Riku was already sheltered. The three of them crowded around the center of the lean to and focused on the harsh wind.

"What will happen? What are we suppose to do here?" Riku asked and Sora shrugged.

"Master Yen Sid did not give us very much details." Kairi said and frowned.

"D Section…M Section…R Section…" A voice boomed. It sounded mingled with many voices, both sweet and harsh, both loud and soft, and both female and male. Out form nothing came three spite. They glared at the three sitting on the floor.

"D Section…"

"M Section…"

"R Section…"

"Congratulations. You have survived the first round, the first five years. Commence with us to the second round where you will face twenty three other who will oppose you for the keys." They said in a unison. Every time they talked, the tone changed, it seemed they could not decide if they were male or female.

The spites held out their hand.

"Come." They commanded. Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked at each other.

"See you at the top." Sora said. Riku nodded.

"Kairi be careful." Kairi nodded as well. Then with a forced smile, Sora grabbed on to the spite's hand.

Sora felt himself be rejuvenated though the awful screaming came back. When he heard it stop, he opened his eyes and saw ice.


	10. Chapter 10: 2nd Round

"Ice?" He cried confused. Then he remembered that Master Yen Sid had never made it this far. He would have to wing it. Sora walked around feeling extremely cold. He saw his breath every time he breathed and he looked around for a clue of what he should do.

"Battle…battle…" A spite hissed and out of the sky dropped a boy no older than Sora. After the blue flames had settled, he stared at Sora in confusing then charged. Sora dodged his charge and held out his keyblade. He planned to hold on as long as need be before using it; he wasn't sure that Master Yen Sid had made it work yet.

"One more win." The boy muttered and charged again. Sora blocked his charged and threw the boy to the side. He fell and looked up at Sora with dull eyes.

"Fight me…" The boy said and Sora answered by dodging the boy's next blow. The boy grew enraged.

"Fight me! You coward!" He swung his keyblade and it missed Sora by an inch. Tired of dodging, Sora sighed.

"This is for your own good." He muttered through grinded teeth and struck the boy with his own keyblade.

The wind howled. The ice melted to reveal hidden sand. The boy stared blankly at Sora and dropped his keyblade. He was once again engulfed in blue flames and his body disappeared. All that was left of the boy was his keyblade and a floating aura of darkness. It screamed and evaporated.

Sora shivered.

While Sora was busy with his second round opponent, Riku and Kairi were still in the lean to. The spites were outside guarding it, repeating the same chant over and over.

"D section…D section…D section…" It got awfully annoying and they both stared at the spot Sora had been. Suddenly the spite that had taken Sora came from the nothing and smiled.

"Victorious D Section, there was an error with H Section. The loser has somehow found himself back home. He was suppose to stay here forever…"

"Forever…" The other spites echoed coming inside. The spites looked at Sora's spite and it pointed at Riku.

"M Section…" It said and one of the spites most resembling a tall thin man stepped up.

"Come…round two…" It hissed and Riku smiled at Kairi.

"Kairi, make sure you don't overdo it." Riku said and Kairi nodded sadly. Riku gulped and held onto the spite's hand.

Riku burned. The blue fire burned him physically while the screaming burned him mentally. He tried to block it, yet his hands would not go to his ears. He felt entrapped. The fire and the screams stopped and Riku opened his eyes. He was not on Fengorafel anymore. He thought. After all, the scenery was all green. Exactly like a jungle.

"Where am I?" He asked walking around. "Sora?" He asked and touched a tree. It turned to sand before him and he jumped back. Riku held out his Way to the Dawn and slashed another tree; it turned to sand also.

"An illusion." He said and looked around.

"M Section…C Section…" The spite's voice was overheard with another as a blue flame shot from the sky and died down. Out stepped a girl. She glanced around and spotted Riku who stared at her.

"Hi, you're a handsome one, too bad you have to die." She said and suddenly Riku disappeared from sight. "Huh- where did you go?" As if he was answering her, Riku was behind her. He slashed and the girl was engulfed in blue fire.

"Sorry." He said and rushed away from the scene. Around him, the landscape vanished and he was left seeing nothing but sand. He had to find Sora.

"Come girl." The spite called and Kairi looked at it.

"M Section is the victor…same error with D Section…should we do something?" A spite asked another and it shook its head.

"We have the victor. We need not more bodies now, so much laying on the battlefield…" It said and Kairi wheeled back in fright.

"Come girl…" It repeated. Kairi closed her eyes and took its hand. She, unlike the others, did not hear the screaming of the blue fire. The spite glared at her with almost frightened eyes. Surely everyone must have given into the darkness at least once in his or her life. Yet this girl had not. It was strange.

Kairi appeared in what seemed like Destiny Island. She looked around trying to find something familiar about it, yet it was different, so she accepted it was not the island. She felt sort of relieved about it since she did not want to get sent home.

"R Section…S Section…"The spite hissed. Out came a young boy who looked at her like she was mad.

"Haven't seen a girl here yet." He sniffed.

"What about it?" She asked. Secretly she wondered if there were other girls here. She had not seen any since they had come.

"Well, sorry miss, but you have to die."

"What?" She asked almost dumbfounded. He charged and she escaped with a bruise from rolling away. He grabbed her leg and raised his keyblade. She looked at him with horror-stricken eyes and he gritted his teeth.

"At least fight back!" He growled and she closed her eyes and held out her hand. Her keyblade appeared. She touched the boy with it and he erupted into blue fire.

'What kind of magic is this?" He asked before he vanished clean away, his keyblade clanged to the floor. Everywhere, the palm trees turned to sand and melted to the ground, the ocean gave way and a great sand valley appeared before her. She was flabbergasted. She had to find the boys. Someone, anyone at all, so with that in mind, Kairi began to walk.

"R Section…. victory…" A spite hissed and melted back into nothingness.


	11. Chapter 11: Kev and Kairi

Kairi felt the harsh wind howl at her. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head. She would not give in. As long as Sora was out there somewhere waiting for her, she will find him. The wind died down and she made out another battlefield. Revolted, she turned to walk away from the scene, when she heard a soft voice.

"Is anyone there?" It cried and she looked to see a small boy lost amongst the corpses. He winched whenever he was close to one and ran in the opposite direction to encounter more. He was utterly lost, as she was.

"Hello?" Kairi shouted loud enough for him to hear her. She watched him turn towards her and begin to run. "Wait!" She cried and ran towards him. He was trying to outmaneuver her yet she was fast and soon caught up. He stared at her with large blue eyes filled to the brim with tears.

"I'm Kairi." She said and took out her canteen. He took it and drank greedily.

"Kev." He said.

"Is that short for Kevin-"

"No, just Kev." He looked more mature now that he was calm.

"What world did you come from?" She asked. He glanced at her like she was crazy.

"Like everyone else here, I came from Twilight Town." He said confidently showing his shirt. On the tag was written Twilight Town. She nodded.

"Well, I guess I'm not everyone. My friends and I are from Destiny Islands. Do you know where that is?"

"Nope." He looked grimly at the canteen. "I got sucked in the blue light when my brother. I was trying to find him. However, I don't know if he's alive or not." He was remembering the battlefields. Kairi nodded.

"I'm trying to find my friends. One is a boy with this goofy grin and brown hair. He's in all black. Another has long white hair, is charming, and always in a hurry. Have you seen either?" Kev laughed.

"Now that I recall, I hear someone shouting Kairi not too long ago. I ran away from the voice though. Perhaps it was one of your friends."

"What direction?" Kairi asked and hope sprang in her like a flame.

"I don't know." Kev lowered his eyes. "This place is full of sand and not enough landmarks to let me know where I am." Kairi nodded. She was getting sick of Fengorafel, and fast.

"Let's team up Kev. If anything happens to you, I'll protect you." Kev smiled and Kairi smiled back.

"Ok Kairi. Where should we go?" Kairi turned around and sighed.

"Just pick a direction, it makes no difference." Kev nodded, spun around, and landed west.

"Look out Sora, Riku, here I come!" She shouted and Kev nodded.

"I'll find you Mark!" He said and ran to catch up with Kairi. Kairi laughed. She wasn't alone anymore.

The two walked until they were no longer able to. Exhausted, they sat down in the blistering sand and sighed.

"I wish it would be night." Kev murmured.

"Me too." Kairi concurred. She was cranky and blistered and she wanted someone to tell her where she was.

"I shouldn't have ran." Kev suddenly said and Kairi looked at him. "Mark knew what he was doing. He told me not to leave his side, but like the coward I am, I ran."

"I could send you back to see if Mark is home." She whispered. Kev looked at her confused.

"What do you mean? Our wizard told us of what would happen. Once you come here, there is no escape." She held out her hand and her keyblade appeared. He looked at her horror stricken.

"Kairi, you're not going to kill me are you?" He asked scooting away from her. She stood over him.

"This is for your own good." She whispered. He shook his head.

"Please, Kairi, don't!" He screamed and she lowered her keyblade. He looked at her with untrusting eyes.

"Sorry, I just thought I could help."

"Kill me?" He asked looking at her in disbelief. "You thought killing me would solve my problems?" She shook her head.

"My wizard arranged my keyblade so whom ever it touches would be sent back home. I thought you might want to go back there." Kev shook his head.

"I don't want to test it. Nor do I want to go back yet. I have unfinished business. I need to find Mark." She nodded.

"Sorry." She said and he scratched his head.

"You need to find better ways to help. Then again, I don't blame you; after all, the sun is blistering." She glanced toward the horizon.

"Sora, where are you?" She asked aloud and Kev turned to her.

"Who is Sora? Is he someone special to you?" She blushed.

"No, he's just my friend. Nothing more." She said to both Kev and herself. Then she stood.

"We should find shelter or make shelter." She said and he nodded.

"How do we plan on making a shelter?" He asked and she wrinkled her nose.

"If you want to make a shelter, we'll have to raid the battlefields and plunder from the corpses." She wasn't too hot on the idea yet she had to if she wanted to get out of the sun. It was a life or death situation. She was willing to make sacrifices.

Kev nodded and also wrinkled his nose.

"Ok then, let's walk until we find a battlefield to plunder off from." Kairi nodded and sighed. She struggled to stand up and she coughed violently. The sand was going to make her sick. After a few seconds to regain her posture, she followed Kev in a direction they did not go yet.


	12. Chapter 12: Nozomi and the City of Azar

Sora looked around in disbelief. He was in a huge castle. It was gigantic, bigger than Castle Oblivion, bigger than the one at the world that never was. He had been there for hours, there was a grand clock opposite of him, yet he couldn't make out what the strange markings said. He sat back down in a chair and wondered where the others were.

"Sora?" A small voice asked. Sora glanced back at girl. She had light brown hair and dazzling green eyes. She looked younger than him by three years or so. When she saw that he was staring back at her, she looked downward and entered.

"Tell me how I got here again?" He asked her and she sat down opposite of him, at the end of the long table. She glanced up at him then glanced back down at the floor.

"You were in the desert like the others, wandering around aimlessly. I saw what you did to the boy in your second round so I thought I could turn to you for help."

"That's right." He said, finally remembering what had happened. "What exactly do you need me for anyways?"

"My name is Nozomi. I have been stuck in Fengorafel for three exact days. That's about three million years in Destiny Island time. Fengorafel moves extremely slow compared to all the other worlds. Perhaps that is why Spites like it so much. Anyways, I have made this castle from what I found in the lost city of Azar. The city of Azar is south of here, the lost civilization of Fengorafel I believe. I have learned that the Azarians were invaded by the Sprites when they came from the sky one night in a huge storm. Most were introduced to the keyblade, it lead to wars, and that was how they perished. Anyhow, I was sucked in the blue light along with a random stranger. He perished before I did, having a keyblade summoned him to the second round and he got killed by some section. Thus, I had to find a way to survive, around the first hour, I found the city. They had an extensive library. These people were extremely smart, they knew very well of all the worlds since they had so much time to learn. I have learned how to defeat the spites. Would you help me? Send everyone home? I have seen enough violence to last me a life time." Sora absorbed everything in.

"You know how to defeat them?" He asked in disbelief. He was anxious to hear more. She nodded then looked at him with confidence.

"Sora, first of all, we need to find your friends. I know exactly where they are."

"How do you know?" He asked and she smiled.

"The Azarians had very advanced technology for people who lived underneath the desert. I took some time to master it." She stood up and motioned for him to follow her. He stood up and followed the girl into a wide hall. It stretched on endlessly for him, yet Nozomi navigated it as though she had remembered every single room. Perhaps she did, after all, she was on Fengorafel for three million years anyways. She stopped at a large door with writings he did not understand. She pushed on it and it revealed a circular room with twenty six panels revealing each battlefield and six more of different parts of the desert were people were sheltered.

"I only come here when I have to. I don't particularly enjoy the place since I always see dead people everywhere. It makes your heart sick." She sat down in a chair and Sora marveled as it spun around, slowly going up. Nozomi almost touched the ceiling before she raised her hand. All the panels flew to her and she pushed them away one by one.

"I do not see anyone alone." She said looking down at Sora.

"What does your friends look like?" She asked him.

"Kairi has red hair. She'd probably be screaming my name or Riku's name. Either that or she'd be around a lot of people asking them where we are. Riku has white hair, most likely to be alone and running around trying to find Kairi and me; most likely Kairi first." Nozomi smiled.

"You have an interesting way to describe them." He smiled back at her.

"I bet they'd describe me the same way." Nozomi nodded and looked back at the panels.

"I see a girl with red hair."

"Is it Kairi?" Sora asked and she shrugged.

"Is Kev one of your friends?" She asked.

"I don't know anybody named Kev." Sora said. "Why?"

"Well, this girl isn't calling Riku or Sora, she was calling out Kev."

"Must not be her." Sora said dismissively. Nozomi shrugged.

"Want to take a look anyways?" She pushed the panel towards him and he saw a girl with a boy. The boy smiled at her.

"Thanks Kairi." He said and ate the strange food. The girl smiled back and sat down under a small umbrella that the two probably made.

"That's her." He said. "But I don't know who the Kev guy is." Nozomi shrugged again.

"I've seen him once or twice. Spites appeared shortly after his brother and him had a fight. He ran away from a battlefield. His brother was left fighting. I do not know if he won or not. The spites took him before I could tell. The second time I saw him, he was angry at a crowd for something. Shortly afterwards the crowd of people were attacked by spited ones. He ran away from that as well." Sora frowned. Was Kev going to cause trouble for Kairi? He had to get to her.

"Nozomi-"

"Say no more. I will talk to you through this charm." She tossed him a small charm shaped like a half star, half hourglass and he pocketed it. Then she pointed at the panel and then Sora. Instantly, he felt himself being sucked into the panel.

"Nozomi!" He shouted before the room vanished and he went dropped onto the hot sand.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted and rushed to him. Sora looked up gratefully. "Sora, how did you fall from the sky? Did the spite drop you?" He shook his head.

"Nozomi did."

"Who's Nozomi?" Kairi asked with a frown.

"A girl who rescued me. Who's that Kev fellow?"

"A boy I found. We were trying to find you and his brother Mark." Sora glanced at Kev who glanced back. He stood and walked over to Sora.

"Nice to meet you Sora. Kairi sure talks a lot about you." He said and glanced at Kairi. "Let's go under the umbrella for now. The sun is blistering." With that, the boy walked off towards the umbrella. Kairi smiled at him while Sora wondered if he could trust the boy. What was his connection to the spites? Sora did not know and he intended to find out.

"Sora…" Nozomi's voice echoed inside his head.

"Nozomi?" He asked and Kairi stared at him.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Kairi asked and he shook his head. She shrugged and went back under the umbrella.

"Sora, I found Riku." She said and he nodded. "He is northeast of the city of Azar."


End file.
